Safety pin



Oct. 21, 1947. v ABBOTT 2,429,337

SAFETY PIN Filed Oct. 4, 194,6

IN V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 21, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY PIN Ernest V. Abbott, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 4, 1946, Serial No. 701,291

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in safety pins.

One object of the invention is to provide a safety pin that normally is self-closing, that is, one so constructed that the pointed arm of the pin tends to move into a shielded position whereby if the pin is accidentally or inadvertently opened, it is less likely to free itself from the clothing and also less likely to injure the wearer. The pin, therefore, is particularly advantageous in fastening infants wear.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety pin provided with a shield for receiving the pointed arm when the pin is closed and a latch which engages the pointed arm within the shield and renders accidental or inadvertent opening of the pin extremely unlikely.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety pin provided with a shield having therein a latch member for the pointed arm but the use of which latch member is optional with the user of the pin.

Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction which will be apparent Fig. l, to be inserted in the cloth to be pinned.

from the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pin that is illustrative of the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the pin shown in Fig. 1 but with the shield of the pin shown in section.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the pin shown in Fig. 2 looking to the left of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig, 2 showing the pointed arm in latched position; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the latch in a lateral position and the pointed arm in its normal spring retained position.

The pin shown in the drawings is formed of two parts, that is, a shield Ill and a pin body indicated generally by the numeral II. The shield Ill may be formed of metal pressed or otherwise formed in the shape illustrated. In the form shown, the shield I0 is closed at the top and front and rear edges and at both sides except for a slot l2 formed in one side only. The pin body II is formed of a strip of resilient wire shown as provided with a coil I3 at the lower end which connects the relatively stationary arm I4 and the pointed arm I 5. The upper end of arm I4 is shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to fit within the shield I0 and to provide an angularly disposed latch I6, the lower end of which constitutes a hook II. The latch arm It as shown in Fig. 5,

normally extends somewhat laterally from the medial plane of the shield III whereby the hook I? tends to assume a position wherein it extends laterally of the slotted wall Illa of the shield. The latch arm I6, at its lower end, normally contacts the forward wall Ifib of the shield l0 and is sufilciently long to dispose the hook I! below the lower edge of the shield. The shield and pin member II are secured together by any approved means such as by compressing the metal of the shield about the upper end of the relatively stationary arm I4 as indicated at I8 in Figs. 4 and 5.

The pointed arm I5 is not self opening but on the contrary, due to the coil spring I3, it tends to move to a closed position, that is, to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. However, the free end of the arm I5 cannot enter the shield unless pressed rearwardly into registration with the slot I2. Hence the arm, when the pointed end is'not within the shield, tends to hold the pointed end against the shield. The arm I5 must be pressed outwardly, that is, in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 1 to open the pin to enable the arm I5, shown in dotted lines in After insertion of the arm I5 through the cloth to be fastened, the spring I3 tends to return the arm into position wherein the pointed end con tacts the shield. Hence, should the pin, after insertion in the cloth, be not fully closed or should it be unlatched from fully closed position, it tends to retain itself in position in the cloth not only against loss but with the pointed end close to the shield l0 and therefore in a position less likely to injure the wearer. In closing the pin to fully latched position from the position of the arm shown in Fig. 5, the arm is moved to the left or against the action of the spring I3 and against the spring action of the latch I6 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 in which position the pointed end of the arm I5 registers with the slot I2 in the wall Illa of the shield. The arm is then pressed through the slot into the shield and released whereupon the spring action of the arm It, as well as the action of the coil spring I3, moves the pointed arm I5 into the full line position shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, wherein the pointed end contacts the inner face of the wall Iilb of the shield.

In opening the pin, it is, of course, necessary to move the spring arm I5 toward arm I4 until the pointed end registers with the opening I2 whereupon the arm Hi can be shifted laterally through the opening I2 to the exterior of the shield. However, the spring arm does not then spring to a fully opened position since the tendency of the spring is to retain the arm I in contact with the shield for the reasons of safety referred to above.

In the event the pin is to be used without utilizing the latch IS, the spring arm I5 may be moved laterally about the hook I4 and through the slot [2 and then released whereupon the spring [3 will move the spring arm to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 out of registration with the slot l2. The pin is not intended to be used without the latching feature and hence, but one side of the shield is provided with a receiving notch 12. The lateral extension of the hook is calculated to avoid closing the pin without engaging the hook since to close the pin Without utilizing the latching feature, it is necessary to swing the pointed arm I5 laterally beyond the end of the hook in moving it to the slot l2. It,

will, therefore, be seen that in the normal closing of the pin it will be automatically latched since in so closing it normally, the pin engages the hook I! which is disposed in the usual path of travel of the point toward the slot.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the coil I3 is shown disposed at the adjacent end of the arm l4 while the lower end of the arm I5 is provided with a rearwardly turned shank portion I 5a that is connected integrally with the spring. This arrangement provides an arm l5 of a greater eifective length since the coil [3 does not interfere with the movement of the cloth to the extreme lower end of the arm l5. Accidental pinching of cloth between the convolutions of the coil I3 is avoided in large measure by such arrangement although a conventional sheet metal guard may be pressed about the coil if desired.

While I have shown and described a pin structure which illustrates the invention, it will be apparent that changes in details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A safety pin comprising a wire body and an arm integrally unitedat adjacent ends, the opposite end of said arm being pointed, a shield secured to the opposite end of said body comprising a receptacle for the pointed end of said arm, said shield having a slot in one wall thereof through which said pointed end is manually movable, a resilient latch member in said shield integral with the adjacent end of said body and extending diagonally of the shield from the body to the opposed wall of the shield, and a hook extending from said latch laterally of the shield for engagement by said arm as the same is moved toward and through said slot into the shield and urged by said latch against said arm for resiliently retaining the pointed end of the arm within the shield.

2. A safety pin comprising a resilient wire body section terminating at the upper end in a downwardly directed resilient latch member, a shield secured to said end of the body and enclosing said latch member and provided with a recess in a side wall thereof, an arm pointed at one end, a biasing formation uniting the lower end of said arm to the lower end of said body and biasing the arm to a position wherein the upper end thereof is disposed adjacent said shield, and a hook member at the lower end of said latch projecting from said shield at one side thereof for engagement by the pointed end of said arm when the latter is moved into registration with and through said recess whereby the latch and hook resiliently latch the pointed end of the arm within the shield.

3. A safety pin comprising a resilient wire body provided atthe upper end with a downwardly and forwardly directed resilient latch member and at the lower end with a biasing member, a shield enclosing said latch member and the upper portion of said body and having a recess in one side thereof, a hook extending from the lower end of said latch member laterally beyond the recessed side of said shield adjacent the lower edge thereof, and a spring arm pointed at the upper end and integrally united at the lower end to said biasing member whereby the pointed end of the arm is biased normally into a position adjacent the exterior wall of said shield, said arm being engageable with said hook for deflecting said resilient latch rearwardly as the arm is moved manually through said recess into said shield whereby upon release of the arm the pointed end thereof is disposed in the shield between a wall thereof and said hook.

ERNEST V. ABBOTT. 

